Forever and More
by SummerShowers
Summary: Set 2 years after the war between Voldemort and Harry. the light side has won. hermione tries to deal with her messed up life by...gasp teaching at Hogwarts! now, that'd have been a great idea if a certain blond ferret wasn't bouncing around..
1. Aftermath of the war

**Aftermath of the war**

**Disclaimer: I'd be very honored if you actually thought I owned Harry Potter. Feel free to assume that all things you don't recognise belongs to me though.**

It was a rainy day, and evident storm clouds stretched ominously towards the horizon. Sitting at the kitchen table, Hermione stared out of the window as she sipped on a steaming cup of coffee, not really thinking about anything in particular.

Her mind drifted unconsciously to the war that had finally ended Voldemort's life, or more commonly referred to as the Final Battle. It had already been over for nearly 2 years and Hermione was now nearly twenty years old. The war had started just after her NEWTS, and Hermione was almost thankful to the Death Eaters for only launching the attack then. Note the word: almost. Hermione could never feel anything other than hatred for those bastards who were so full of prejudice and killed for the "sheer pleasure of it".

The light side had won as predicted, but not without heavy consequences. The deceased on their side included Neville Longbottom, Charlie and Bill Weasley, Luna Lovegood and so many more. So many that the list seemed never ending. There had even been a few Slytherins, surprisingly. Hermione's heart clenched unbearably every time she thought of Pansy Parkinson, who had protected her during the war.

She remembered vividly the courage Pansy had demonstrated (Slytherins were never known to be very brave) when she leapt in front of her and straight into the path of a jet of green light. The killing curse. Hermione truly regretted her assumptions all these years that all Slytherins were nothing but scum. Pansy had proven that she was just as worthy of her respect as any other being. She was even nobler than some Gryffindors Hermione knew! She was sure that Pansy would be content to know that her sacrifice had not been for naught. Hermione had also taken it upon herself to make sure that she got a decent burial as both of Pansy's parents had disowned her for choosing to fight against them during the battle.

Dumbledore had unfortunately died from over exertion while performing a highly intricate and complicated spell to ward off the attacks of death eaters on Hogwarts at the beginning of the war. The spell had only worked until Voldemort decided to make an appearance. With Dumbledore dead, it was easy to penetrate Hogwarts' defenses. The fact that Voldemort was a powerful wizard did not help either. He was only barely defeated when the Golden Trio combined their powers against him in their duel.

Harry. A tear escaped Hermione's eyes when she thought of him. He was currently lying in St Mungo's, paralyzed. Voldemort had managed to put a curse on him before he died, although no one knew when and how he had managed it. The curse worked in such a way that if he died, Harry would go with him, only more slowly and painfully—by a series of continuous Cruciatus Curses. Luckily, Mad-eye Moody had detected something before the curse was activated, but no one was able to completely stop it in time, thus resulting in Harry being fully paralyzed and in a constantly unstable condition. Hermione supposed this was better than him dying but his state pained her nevertheless.

Finally, there was Ron. He in a better situation than Harry, but not by much. The death eaters had blasted both of his legs off and he had acquired quite a lot of scars all over his body. Too ashamed to face the world, he rarely comes out of the Grimauld's place. Hell, he did not even answer her letters with more than two sentences anymore. Hermione suspected that he was heading towards depression and had voiced her worries to him during one of their meetings at the Three Broomsticks. Ron had not offered her any response but instead said that he was tired and needed to rest. The next moment, he was gone.

Even though Hermione was still worried, she did not raise the subject again. She knew that that would only result in Ron avoiding her, at least for now. Hermione did not need to go through the risk of losing one more friend. Harry was enough for her to cope with.

The rest of the Weasleys were as miserable as Ron, if not more so. Mrs. Weasley was the worst of the lot. She grieved nearly daily for her elder sons. She was going though therapy with her psychiatrist regularly and her condition had improved by leaps and bounds. She was now able to hear Charlie's and Bill's names being mentioned without breaking down, which is saying a lot.

Needless to say, Hermione thought that she had suffered the least among all her friends—her parents had been killed during a Death Eaters' raid. And she hated herself for not being able to share their problems. Her friends (namely Ginny, Ginny and Ginny) told her that she was being ridiculous, that she had done all that she could to help, that maybe she had too much free time and needed some distraction from whatever nonsense she was feeding her mind…

Hermione was indignant that Ginny thought that of her. She was the ex-head girl and possibly the brightest witch in the century for a reason. _She_ did not do ridiculous; feed her brain nonsense or any of the other things Ginny had accused her of. But deep down inside, a part of herself, a small part but nevertheless a part of her, told her that they were right.

She had done all that she could for her friends. But Hermione had high expectations of herself in every aspect of her life, and that included friends. No matter how much she did to help, it never seemed enough to her. She grew more and more reproachful of herself by the day but had refused to believe her friends when they told her that she was falling into the crutches of depression, just like Ron.

Moving over to the sink, Hermione deposited her now empty coffee cup into it. She was going to wash the cup later. Right now, she had something else to do. Over the past hour, she had come to a decision. Hermione did not know then, but it would be the turning point in her life. She would get a job. She would prove to everyone that she was perfectly fine, including herself, she added much to her reluctance. She would be a professor… at Hogwarts.

* * *

It had been three weeks since Hermione sent out her job application. She had applied to be a DADA professor, since she heard that the position was still empty. Hermione was starting to think that maybe Hogwarts had already found someone more suitable than her to fill in the spot. 

This morning, Hermione was indulging in her usual combination of breakfast (a glass of fresh milk and toast) when a familiar owl swooped through the window and landed somewhat clumsily on the kitchen table. Muttering a quick prayer, Hermione reached over and retrieved the piece of parchment tied to one of the owl. A huge smile stretched across her face as Hermione scanned through its contents.

_Dear Ms. Granger,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to be the new DADA professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Term begins on 1 September._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Headmistress_

Giving a whoop of joy, Hermione proceeded to do a little jig around the kitchen. She froze as her brain calmed long enough to process the sound of a cough. With her face flushing scarlet, Hermione spun around to see who the intruder of such a private moment was.

"Ginny!" Hermione squealed as she launched herself at the grinning redhead.

The younger female member of the Weasley family had been the fastest to recover from the war. She had taken over up the role her mother since the latter was in no condition to manage the household. She was also the Hermione's best girlfriend and the one who was always there to reassure her about Harry and Ron.

"Hey 'mione! What's going on? Why're you so happy?" Ginny started firing the questions as Hermione's mind lost control again.

"Gin! You won't believe this! Hogwarts...letter...professor! I'm so happy!" Hermione managed to choke out while laughing merrily.

By now, Ginny was utterly confused by Hermione. So she did the only thing a redhead is to do when her friend is going half mad (at least it seemed like that to her). She raised her wand and muttered, "Incarcerous!"

Instantly, ropes appeared and proceeded to wrap themselves tightly around a stunned Hermione. Ginny pulled out a chair and pushed her into it gently before settling down into another chair, completely ignoring her protests. After making herself comfortable, she finally faced a still stuttering Hermione and shook her by the shoulders, _hard_. When Ginny was satisfied with the results, she removed the ropes ("Finite Incantatem!") and spoke again, "Hermione, I'm very sorry I had to do this. But you were too excited to say anything coherently. Please forgive me. Now that you've calmed down, tell me what had happened."

Hermione pouted and massaged her sore limbs. "It's really simple actually. I sent a job application for the DADA professor to Hogwarts and they accepted."

Ginny sprang from her seat to hug Hermione, not unlike the way she did it just now.

"Oh 'mione! I'm so glad you've pulled yourself together! I'm sure you'll do great…"

Hermione's mind strayed from that point. Would she get along well with the students and teachers? Would she teach well? But most importantly, did she belong at Hogwarts?

* * *

**Author's note**: **My first fic: Was it too short? What was I lacking in? Details? Or too much? Do tell:))**

**PLEASE R&R!**

**Till next time.**


	2. Her first friend

**Her first friend**

**Disclaimer: When I last checked my records, Harry Potter did not belonged to me, however much iwished he did. ;)**

Hermione sighed as she loaded the last of her luggage into the taxi. It was _the day_. She would be moving into Hogwarts and will not be returning to her parents' house for a long time if all goes well.

Hermione did not actually live in the house. Instead, she only visited it from time to time so as to ensure its cleanliness. She had her own apartment somewhere at the edge of Diagon Alley. It was small but cozy enough to contain 2 bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen without being squeezed. She had decided to live in her parents' house this summer though, and she was grateful that she did so. Hermione believed that it was only because her parents were watching over her, that she was able to be accepted into Hogwarts as the DADA professor.

Hermione was actually somewhat glad to move out of the house. It brought back too many painful memories of her parents. There was not a place in the house where their presence did not linger. So much so that it can be classified as disturbing. At the start, Hermione had even contemplated selling the house. She was glad that she did not do so. It was the only reminder she had left of her parents. Their belongings were all destroyed by the Death Eaters. She had asked her muggle neighbor to check on her parents' house once in a while, just like she always did, when Hermione was supposed to be on an "overseas business trip".

"King's Cross Station," Hermione told the taxi driver as he sped off.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Hermione scanned her surroundings to make sure that no muggles were looking at her before pushing her trolley through the pillar that was really the entrance to platform 9 and ¾, the gateway to the world of magic. She ran through a short dark tunnel as emerged on the other side, nearly running into an unfortunate couple in the process. 

Hermione felt a pang of sadness hit her as she observed the Hogwarts students going about their business, be it bidding their families goodbye or struggling to carry their luggage onto the Hogwarts Express. She remembered how she had been just like them a mere two years ago. Now, Hermione felt like an old lady as compared to those kids, so full of passion and vigor. She had been through so much that her heart had nearly hardened into ice—unfeeling and numb.

Hermione let her mask of indifference slip for a while before striding purposefully up to the carriages.

* * *

Hermione slipped into last compartment in the train. She had checked all the other compartments and each was occupied by at least three chattering students. This only served to make Hermione feel more alone than ever. She did not know a soul here. Hermione turned around and sat herself opposite the only other occupant in the compartment. 

The two females faced each other but neither spoke. Hermione took the chance to size up the girl. She was quite pretty, with almond-shaped eyes that are a peculiar shade of electricity blue. Her sleek hair was a striking hue of whitish blonde and she gave the distinct impression of being superior even though she was dressed in a t-shirt and faded jeans that were tastefully torn in several places.

"Hi! I'm Hermione Granger," Hermione took the first step and tried to be friendly.

"Kaylen," the girl gave her a curt nod and smirked a little. Hermione could not recall where she had seen that smirk before until she continued. "Malfoy."

* * *

Hermione fell off her seat in shock. When had Malfoy gotten himself a daughter? Kaylen extended a hand to Hermione, the ends of her mouth curving upwards into a tight smile. 

"Most people just gape. You're reaction's a first,"

_Blond hair, checked. Blue eyes, checked. Smirk, checked. Definitely a Malfoy._

"Well, my case's different. I knew your dad. He's a prick," Hermione protested indignantly.

"You're lying. Even I didn't know him," Kaylen looked thoroughly confused for a split second, and then a light bulb seemed to go off in her head.

"Unless you're talking about Draco Malfoy,"

Hermione nodded hesitantly and Kaylen smirked again.

"He's my uncle."

Hermione fell off her seat for the second time that day.

"Hermione, you've got to stop doing that. It's a tad bit undignified," Kaylen smiled for the first time.

"Sorry, I'm not usually like that," _Raised eyebrow, checked._ "It's true!"

"If you say so…I'm assuming you're in the same year as Draco. So, what're you doing here?" Kaylen asked.

Over the next few minutes, Hermione related all that had happened over the past 2 years to Kaylen. Her eyes were huge by the time she finished. "Wow! Does that mean I'm the first student here to know you? Cool!"

Their conversation went on throughout the whole train ride. Hermione learnt that Kaylen's mother got pregnant with her before she was out of school and was disowned until after the defeat of Voldemort. They have recently moved back to the Malfoy Manor. She never talked to Kaylen about her father. Kaylen was raised among muggles, so she did not hold much prejudice against muggle-borns. This was going to be Kaylen's first year at Hogwarts. She had been home schooled before.

Then there was that last piece of information Kaylen had revealed. Malfoy had taken over Professor Snape as the potions teacher. Hermione did not fall off her chair this time. She promptly _fainted_.

* * *

Hermione woke up a few seconds later when a glass of ice water got into contact with her face. She groaned and sat up, using a quick drying charm on all her wet face and hair. She looked at Kaylen questioningly and got a shrug and "My tutor," as a form of explanation. 

Hermione buried her face in her hands when she thought of having Malfoy as her colleague.

"Why in the blazes did _he_ have to come _here_?"

Hermione never got an answer as the Hogwarts Express pulled to a stop. She watched with slight amusement as Kaylen let out a little shriek and proceeded to rummage through her luggage for her robes. She tugged them over her clothes and followed Hermione onto the platform.

Hermione spied the familiar form of a half-giant looming over a group of frightened first years. "Hagrid!" she dropped her luggage and propelled herself into his arms. The old friends had not met since Hermione left Hogwarts. Hermione pulled back to see Hagrid wipe a gigantic drop of tear from his left eye. She smiled. Hagrid had always been a little on the emotional side.

"Right 'mione. Haven't seen ya since 2 years ago! Heard ya'll be Hogwarts new DADA professor eh? Sure ya'll be the best we'd ever had. Work hard! I'd better get to work, sending these little ones to school then!" Hagrid boomed and several first years cringed.

Hermione ran back and picked up her luggage before scurrying after the mob of students. She found an empty carriage and squeezed into it with Kaylen right behind.

"I liked that Hagrid bloke. He seemed nice," Kaylen chose to break the silence first.

"Malfoy never like him. Called him a big oaf,"

"As you said, he was a git,"

"Yes, indeed,"

No more conversation took place after that. The two girls sat in companionable silence and simply enjoyed each other's company.

All too soon, Hogwarts came into sight. The majestic castle shrouded in dense mist looked like the King's palace straight out of a fairytale. Hermione puffed out her chest in pride unconsciously as she heard Kaylen emit a tiny gasp of awe.

"Beautiful…" Kaylen finally whispered after a lengthy silence. Hermione's head bobbed and she resumed watching the magnificent castle. _Things are going to be tough with Malfoy around. I hope he keeps his nosy self out of my way.

* * *

_

**Authors Note: **SIGH. i noe this isn't much of a chappie. but i couldn't wait! Draco will appear in the next chap though. keep R&R-ing!((: 


	3. Settling down

**Settling down**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. The plot is mine though. I repeat. Mine Mine MINE!**

* * *

Barely half an hour later, the students were already climbing out of the thestral-drawn carriages. Hermione had to part ways with Kaylen as she had been told to report to Professor McGonagall upon arrival at Hogwarts. 

"But why can't I go with youuu?" Kaylen whined most uncharacteristically when she heard this piece of information. She did not even give up when Hermione explained that it was instructed by McGonagall. She had a hard time trying to pacify Kaylen after that.

"Guess I'll see you later then. Good luck for the sorting!" Hermione called after her retreating back. Kaylen spun around and stuck out her tongue playfully before hurrying to rejoin her fellow students.

Trudging through the majestic castle, Hermione felt a sudden wave of nostalgia hit her. This was the place which had given her some of her most precious memories during her nineteen years. Two years ago, she would not have hesitated to remain at Hogwarts forever if she was allowed to do so. But currently, she was having second thoughts. Hermione was not sure that she would be able to stand living in this place without breaking down. Where so many of her friends used to be, there was only her left now.

* * *

"_Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"_

"_He called me a Mudblood."_

"_I'm really sorry about this, Neville. Petrificus Totalus!"_

"_You're a little scary sometimes, you know that. Brilliant. But scary."_

"_You foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach!"_

"_Books! And cleverness! There are more important things--friendship and bravery and--oh Harry--be careful!"_

"_BUT I DON'T LIKE FLYING!"_

"_All those poor elves I haven't set free yet, having to stay over during Christmas because there aren't enough hats!"_

"_Herm-own-ninny."_

"_Nice punch."_

"_Thanks."_

"_Second -- to Miss Hermione Granger... for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."_

"_Twitchy little ferret, aren't you, Malfoy?"_

"_Grawp's about sixteen feet tall, enjoys ripping up twenty-foot pine trees, and knows me, as Hermy."_

"_You said to us once before, that there was time to turn back if we wanted to. We've had time, haven't we?"_

Hermione wiped away the tears that had somehow managed to squeeze pass her eyes and cast a glamour charm on her face, so no one would see her puffy eyes and know that she was actually hurting inside. Putting her façade of confidence back on, Hermione strode briskly in the direction of Professor McGonagall's office.

Hermione stepped onto the twirling stairs that led to Professor McGonagall's office.

* * *

"Temps-vieux conte," the stone gargoyle that guarded the front of the office flexed its wings and rotated smoothly, carrying her straight to the office entrance. The door opened as Hermione knocked smartly on it and she entered. 

Nothing much in the room had changed since the war ended, except for the missing spot where Fawkes used to perch, which had flown away to wherever it is now when Dumbledore passed away. There was also an empty space on the wall to hang Dumbledore's portrait, alongside all the other previous headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts. Hermione sighed as she turned her attention to the aged woman seated in a comfortable leather armchair behind the desk. _Dumbledore's _armchair.

_Well, at least she wasn't the only one who missed him._

"Professor."

"Ah, Hermione. Take a seat. And Minerva will do." McGonagall attempted at the kindly smile that Dumbledore had been famous for.

At this, Hermione's heart clenched almost painfully and she felt the usual warming up of her face which signaled the upcoming of an outburst.

_How _dare_ she try to take over Dumbledore? First his position as Headmaster, now his smile, next what?_

_Whoa, chill Hermione, chill…You're not being rational here._

_After all, the poor woman's just trying to follow Dumbledore's footsteps and become a good Headmaster of Hogwarts, or in her case, Headmistress. _Hermione reminded herself.

While Hermione was thinking these thoughts, a perplexed McGonagall was trying to figure out what she had done to invoke such a reaction or lack of therefore.

When she noticed the glazed look leave her newest colleague's eyes, she continued their conversation gratefully.

"I'll show you your office now. If you'd just follow me…and yes. Please leave your luggage here. The house elves would bring them to your room." McGonagall told Hermione as she led her out of the office.

They walked along numerous dimly lit corridors before finally stopping at a painting of a young girl dozing by a creek. Her sunkissed hair fell onto her face in wavy locks and her skin shone under the bright sun. Hermione was surprised at the uncanny resemblance between the girl and herself. The sleeping beauty promptly woke up upon sensing the presence of another being. Her silvery gray orbs gazed curiously at Hermione.

"Evening, Headmistress. I'm assuming that this is the new DADA professor?" The girl inquired.

"Yes. I'm Hermione Granger. It's a pleasure to meet you." Hermione answered for McGonagall.

"It is a delight for me too. Fancy meeting the supposedly cleverest witch to ever step into Hogwarts since Minerva! Delightful indeed… I'm Thaliana by the way. Password?"

"Espoir!" McGonagall enunciated clearly.

The painting swung open instantly and Hermione could not help but let her face sag a little. The tiny office looked exactly like how Snape's looked, with the exception of a window and walls of a different color. The only furniture in the room was a polished worktable and armchair, both made of oak with plain designs craved on them. The walls were bathed in a boring shade of orange and a bookshelf rested against the wall behind the furniture.

As if reading her thoughts, McGonagall smiled mysteriously and guided her to the bookshelf.

"Watch me."

_Swish and flick. _"Fizzle Dizzle!"

The bookshelf swung open and revealed…

Hermione gasped at the sight before her. _Wow._ The common room was decked in a perfect harmony of the Gryffindor house colors. The carpet was red with patterns sewn on using golden thread; the cushions on the sofa were made of red and gold velvet; the walls were painted a few shades darker than maroon and and… To put it simply, it looked nothing short of majestic.

"It's impressive isn't it? I decorated it myself. From now on, this is where you'll live," McGonagall commented lightly with only a hint of pride in her voice.

"It's wonderful! Thank you Minerva!" Hermione gushed as she turned around and enveloped the elder woman in a tight embrace. "You have no idea how comforted I am to see these colors again!"

"Well, I'm glad you like it, Hermione. You have to get to the great hall for the feast at seven o'clock sharp. You can take this time to explore your room." McGonagall gave a little nod and exited from the office.

Hermione went into the room with a red door first. It turned out to be her bedroom. She was somewhat disappointed that there was only a four poster bed in the large room but immediately pounced onto it and started bouncing about. She screwed up her nose in distaste at the green blankets and changed them into blue. _Much better! The mattress's even softer than my bed at home… No, Hermione. STOP THINKING ABOUT HOME!_ Her spirit somehow dampened, Hermione left the bedroom and wandered into another room with a blue door. She almost fainted with ecstasy right then and there. The room she had walked into was a _library_! And a massive one at that.

"There has got to be half of Hogwart's collection in here!" Hermione exclaimed joyfully.

Ten minutes, six jigs and several squeals later, she managed to quell her excitement at being able to read books to her heart's content without going all the way to the library and skipped eagerly into the last room which had a yellow door attached to it.

The bathroom was as nicely decorated as any other part of the house. Azure tiles covered every inch of the walls. A screen surrounded the bathtub from the rest of the room. It was big enough to accommodate nearly two persons comfortably. With a grin that will make a Cheshire cat want to just curl up somewhere and wallow in self-pity, Hermione decided to head down to the Great Hall now in case something happen later to make her late for the fest.

_Aren't you always the worrywart Hermione Jane Granger?_ Some part of her mind whispered.

_Oh, shut up.

* * *

_

Hermione stopped to exchange words with nearly every single painting on her way to the Great Hall. A portrait hanging outside a room Hermione identified as the Muggle Studies classroom attracted her attention. The woman in the painting wore her amber hair in a bun with something akin to a bonnet holding it in place. Her gown was a matching red and there were sparkling jewels hanging on her neck and wrists. Hermione discovered with surprise that this woman was the Queen Hermione in Shakespeare's _A Winter's Tale_.

_At least that explains why she's not moving. Besides, isn't she the one mum named me after?_ Hermione mused to herself. _Pity I wasn't as pretty…_

Shaking her head to remove those thoughts, she walked forward until she reached the wooden doors of the Great Hall. Praying fervently that the students of Hogwarts had not yet entered the hall, Hermione forced herself to take a deep breath and pushed the doors open.

_Uh oh. No such luck._

About a thousand eyes turned towards her the moment the doors to the Great Hall opened. McGonagall was standing at the headmistress's place at the High table, obviously midway through her speech. Hermione felt her face heating up and bowed her head.

Smiling knowingly at Hermione, she continued, "…and to end off, I'd like to introduce to the school your DADA professor for this year. Professor Hermione Granger. Previous head girl of Hogwarts!"

Hermione would never admit it, but she was nervous—understatement of the year! So she did the only thing she could do under such circumstances. She nodded at the students and smiled faintly.

"Let the feast begin!"

Stumbling up to the High table amidst polite applause, Hermione never felt so embarrassed. Students were already starting to gorge themselves on the food before them. She sat down blindly in the chair beside McGonagall and lost herself in her thoughts.

What would her colleagues and students think of her now? Malfoy would be laughing at her now. Speaking of him, where was he? Hermione craned her head to look down the staff table. _Flitwick…Sprout…Hagrid…Binns…Snape…Yikes! Snape's staring at ME! Turn AROUND Hermione!_

Hermione shuddered at seeing the potions professor and turned to look down the other end of the table. _Hooch…Trelawney…Promfrey…Madame…Pince…Malfoy…Aha!_

Then to Hermione's utmost surprise, Malfoy caught her eye and stood up, heading towards her. He stopped beside Hooch and whispered something in the older witch's ear. Hermione's surprise was replaced by shock as she watched Hooch give up her seat to Malfoy. She was sure her jaw was going to scrape the ground any moment now.

Even though Malfoy was the one to move to sit beside her, he still managed to fix his rather emotionless face into a sneer that seemed to suggest that Hermione had somehow forced him to exchange seats with Hooch.

"Mudblood. Or should I say…_Professor_ Granger?"

Malfoy hadarticulated the perfectly innocent word in such a way that it sounded vulgar.

_That **stupid** SMIRK_

_At least now I know his purpose of sitting beside me. For a moment I almost,I repeat, _almost_ thought he wanted to be friends._

"Ferret."

Hermione noted with mild satisfaction that Malfoy's smirk had thinned.

"My, my. Touchy aren't we?"

"Only with you, Malfoy"

"I'm touched, Granger. By the way, grand entrance you made there. Result of being Pothead's best friend for so long eh?"

Kaylen's mother sure is a _distant_ cousin. The girl was nothing like Malfoy!

Hermione clenched her fists and gritted out, "Leave Harry out of this."

"Aww…Potter's not even your _boyfriend_...Or has our sweet little bookworm finally gotten herself a _crush_?"

Hermione chose to ignore his comment and started on her dinner. Malfoy's failed attempts at trying to provoke her led to silence between the two of them for the rest of the night.

* * *

A/n: Hehhehheh! nearly 2000 words! an improvement i must say. so, how was it:) 

I have mental block for the plot of the story!

give me some suggestions please?

do you guys want a time travel story?

hmmm...i don't think so...

Kaylen's parents aren't anyone special. Kaylen's mum is Draco's...distant cousin. Yep.

anyway, thanks to IceQueen135 for being my first reviewer ever

and Vechababe and Lil' Munchie for reviewing! You RAWK! ;)

hmm...see that review button there?

what're you waiting for? press it:)) thankew! REVIEW!


	4. Her first lesson: The Slytherins

**Her first lesson: The Slytherins**

**Disclaimer: I WANT to own Harry Potter! But Draco Malfoy will do just fine. :)**

Turning on one of the seven taps attached to the bathtub, Hermione slipped into the delicious warmth of scented water. _Mmm…Jasmine._ Massaging her tired muscles, she closed her eyes and immersed herself in her thoughts. It had taken almost all of her willpower not to lash out at Malfoy during dinner. It was a good thing he had stopped when he did, or someone would have ended up in the hospital wing that night and it sure was not going to be her.

"Stupid ferret."

Hermione winced as her fingernails dug into her scalp while she was lathering it. Didn't he know about Harry? Why did he have to mention him? Was he really so cruel as to make fun of his condition?

_Well, of course he would. This _is_ Malfoy we're talking about here, not some saint._

Somehow, it felt wrong to put the word "Malfoy" and "saint" in the same sentence, even if they were separated with a "not".

_Hermione…You have to stop thinking about Malfoy. See? Your headache's starting up again._

And it was true. A ringing was gradually getting louder in Hermione's head and that signaled the start of migraine. Determined to clear her head of Malfoy, Hermione decided to think about the stew that was served during dinner.

_Now _that's_ and improvement…Yummy…_

Half an hour later, a thoroughly cleaned Hermione stepped out of the bathroom in her favorite blue bathrobe and shuffled into her bedroom. Snuggling under the covers, Hermione's last thoughts were of a certain blonde and how she would avoid him while she was at Hogwarts.

---

Hermione woke up the next day in high spirits. Now that she was back where she belonged again, a good night's sleep came easily to her. She checked the time on her alarm clock and was relieved to find that she still had an hour till her first class of the day. Walking over to the bathroom, Hermione grabbed her toothbrush and began to clean her teeth in a leisurely manner.

Before long, she had changed into a creamy white sweater and her favorite pair of jeans. She peered into the mirror and applied some blusher on her pale checks. There, she looked so much healthier now. After pulling on her teacher's robe and fastening her hair into a stylish bun, Hermione grabbed her lesson plan for the day and proceeded to the Great Hall for breakfast.

---

Hermione had not seen Malfoy throughout breakfast and she was glad for it. She prayed fervently that such a beautiful day (hopefully, year) would not be tainted with Malfoy's appearance. She had had a hearty breakfast of bacon and toast (Ron's favorite) and had made polite conversation with McGonagall. They were discussing about the findings of a certain Professor Corey Nelson from Drumstrang. The findings were much related to Hermione as it was about the Dark Arts and Hermione was thinking about inviting this certain Professor Corey to Hogwarts for an exchange of views on the matter. If McGonagall had not reminded Hermione that lessons start in five minutes, she would have continued the discussion till god-knows-when. Thus, it was not a surprise to see a panicky Hermione rushing off towards the DADA classroom.

Just as the bell signaling the start of lessons sounded, Hermione burst into the DADA classroom. To her dismay, she found a whole Slytherin sixth-year class waiting for her. The class sniggered at her disheveled appearance to which Hermione flushed an even darker shade of red and quickened her pace. She hurried up the aisle and deposited her books at the teacher's table. Smoothing out her robes, Hermione gave a light cough and introduced herself.

"Good morning everyone. I'm your new DADA professor—Hermione Granger. You can call me Professor Granger."

When no one responded, Hermione calmly continued. She had expected this to happen anyway.

"On the board are some ground rules for my class." Words appeared on the board in Hermione's neat scrawl as she flicked her wand casually in its direction.

"There will be no note passing, no chatting unnecessarily and no sleeping in my class. Tardiness of work will not be accepted and detention will be given if no explanation for the tardiness is provided."

Hermione said all these in one breath and her face was slightly flushed from the lack of air after her little speech.

However, Hermione was not the ex-head girl of Hogwarts for nothing. She had quickly gotten used to delivering long speeches and she continued talking after a pause so short that it is arguable whether it really can be considered a pause.

"We will be learning about Occlumency this term. Before I go on, can anyone tell me what this spell is used for?"

Hermione scanned the classroom for any raised hands. Seeing none, she shook her head disapprovingly and was just about to voice her disappointment when…

"Professor…Granger?"

A feminine voice echoed through the silent classroom. A tense silence clawed at the insides of Hermione and more than a few heads swerved around to glare at the poor girl. Moments later, Hermione's surprise wore off. A beam broke out upon her features and she searched eagerly for the source of the voice.

A blonde girl with two neat plaits peered through her pair of black-rimmed glasses from somewhere near the back of the classroom. Hermione saw that she had a tiny figure when she stood to answer the question.

"Well…from what I read in my textbook, Occlumency is the art of magically defending the mind against external penetration. It is also the defensive counter to Legilimency and the only defense against the Imperius and Cruciatus Curse. A practitioner of Occlumency is referred to as an Occlumens."

Although Hermione was less than satisfied with this answer, she nodded encouragingly at the girl and motioned for her to sit down.

"Well done, Miss…"

"Jennifer Wizenglot." the girl said shyly.

"Of course, Miss Wizenglot. Five points to Slytherin!"

The rest of the class broke out in frenzied whispers and Hermione took pride in that. No doubt that that was the first time any Gryffindor teacher had ever awarded points to Slytherin. The rivalry between the houses had irked Hermione during her years in Hogwarts and she had promised herself that she would be a fair teacher to all before she started teaching there.

After allowing the students a few more seconds of whispering, Hermione took control of the scene again with a little clearing of the throat.

"Occlumency is necessary if you want to defeat a Legilimen's lie-detector abilities without suspicious behavior such as avoiding face-to-face contact and eye contact."

"Occlumency has not often been taught at Hogwarts in the years prior to the second war against… Voldemort," a few students twitched when they heard the previous dark lord's name and Hermione made a mental note to herself to talk to them about that. "Especially not below the NEWT level."

Some students were starting to look hopeful at this point and Hermione took great pleasure in squashing their optimism with her next sentence.

"_But_…as all of you are sixth years and I personally feel that it is important for you to know how to protect your privacy against prying souls, I will **still **be teaching Occlumency to you!"

Hermione sniggered inwardly as the faces of her students fell. Hey! No one said she couldn't have some fun while being fair, right?

"Occlumency is a complicated subject so we will only learn about Elementary Occlumency for now. Elementary Occlumency involves clearing the mind of thought and emotion, so that the Legilimens— he's someone who studies Legilimency— can find no emotional ties to memories that you wish to conceal. Simple resistance to an attack of such requires similar skills to those needed to resist the Imperius Curse."

"I will be dividing all of you into groups of three. You have to research on the effects of Occlumency, accidents involving it and background on at least two Occlumens. Feel free to include information on other aspects of the subject. Be prepared to present your findings four weeks before the Christmas break. That's around three months from now. I'll expect a thorough report for your project due to the length of time you are given to prepare for it. Are there any questions?"

For a while, the area above the students' heads remained empty and Hermione thought that all her efforts in the past hour have gone to waste. But contrary to what she was thinking, hesitant hands started appearing in the air and questions were muttered grudgingly.

"How will the report be marked? I mean, is there a…"

"How can we earn extra…"

"I have quidditch on almost all seven days. Can I…"

"Can we have the report format 'cause…"

"I don't understand…"

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief that she didn't know she was holding and began answering the numerous questions.

The rest of the lesson passed rather quickly in a flurry of questions and answers. Hermione even had to chase the students out of the DADA classroom when the bell signaling the end of the lesson sounded. She scribbled a hurried note to _Professor _Malfoy as an explanation for the lateness of his students and put Jennifer in charge of it. It still seems weird for Hermione to think of Malfoy as anything other than a disgusting blond piece of ferret, much less a respectable person like a _professor_. Shaking her head to clear it of any more of such irrelevant thoughts, she cleared her teacher's table and left for her quiet sanctuary she was famous for—the library. Hermione planned to make full use of her one hour break before her next lesson with the Ravenclaws.

---

Wrapped in a black robe after her bath, Hermione seated herself on her balcony. This newly discovered area had become Hermione's favorite place of Hogwarts in the span of… zero minutes.

The cozy area was adjoined to her bedroom by a floor length curtain and it faced the lake, thus giving Hermione a considerable amount of privacy.

She gazed at the starry night sky and reflected on the happenings of the day. It was really bizarre. Hermione had never thought that the Slytherins would actually willingly be late for their next class in place for more DADA. It was even harder to believe that these students would miss _Potions_—Slytherins favorite class presumably—for **her** lesson. The reaction from the Ravenclaws was not far behind in surprising her either. Although they did not attempt to forgo their Divination class for her lesson (Hermione doubted they would be late for any lesson), they did remain very quiet during her lesson and did not interrupt her once. This behavior was rare of any Ravenclaw as most of the time, the scratching of the quills on parchment was enough to drown any teacher's voice out and the consistent flow of questions was enough to prevent any smooth lecture from taking place.

Hermione sat rubbing her temples and sighed deeply, a massive headache building up in her brain. How could she have stereotyped against these students? What was worse is that she had grouped them under the same category as Malfoy! Eurgh! The poor things… Hermione sighed again as she cursed herself for being such a worrywart.

By the time she pushed herself away from her chair to retire to bed, her guilt had increased tenfold. One could almost see her brain gears grinding against each other as she squeezed for ideas on how to reduce her guilt. Quite suddenly, the light bulb in her head went off and she did a mini victory dance beside her bed. The solution was so simple that Hermione could not for the heavens figure out why she hadn't thought of it sooner.

She would simply make her lessons even more interesting than before! Hermione thought as she grinned to herself gleefully.

With a much lighter heart and her pounding headache under control, she discarded her robe on her clothes hanger and climbed gratefully into the embrace of her inviting bed sheets…

* * *

A/N: Heyy guys I'm Baaack :) another chap of Forever & More! sorry for the long interval behind my chaps. It's all the exams' fault! points accusing fingers at the exam paper 

frankie girl: Thanks for the advice! I'll just twist it a little... here and there... Done! ;)

Golden Angel71: Thanks! And yes, it's a DH.

Vechababe: I like angst too! thinking of it, I like horror, comedy, romance... but this isn't about me. Don't worry, I'm spicing things up the next chappie or so, soo...stay tuned!

cricketsong: Thankyou for spotting the error! I was never good at these things...

A/N again: I hope i can finish another chap by end of this month. I'm going on a hol to Indonesia! YAY! btw, i crossed the 2000 words barrier!

By the way, just some extra info: YESTERDAY WAS MY B'DAE! Happie b'dae to me... :)

From Mx(mengxia) to Mx: May you have many many MANY reviews for this story!

Would YOU like to be a part of the help-Mx-fulfill-her-b'dae-wish operation? If so, simply click on the tweenie weenie "review" button below! Remember: A click goes a looooong way! Cheers!


	5. Game with the Devil

**Game with the Devil**

**Disclaimer: Same as always, I own nothing but the things you don't recognize.**

Hermione awoke the next morning, feeling rejuvenated for the first time since a long while.

The air smelt fresh, the choir of birds outside was a treat to the ears and the sky had never looked clearer.

Apparently, the dreamless sleep she had gotten last night had done her plenty of good. Smothering a yawn, she rolled over and stretched indulgently on the large bed. Hermione buried her face into the gathered bunch of blankets she currently held in her arms and inhaled deeply. They still retained the unique scent of the soap that only Hogwart's house elves use. She found comfort in these littlest things which contribute in identifying Hogwarts.

_Ahh… life is just great. I feel like I'm where I belong again. Almost like home._

The cool fabric felt fantastic against her warm skin and her eyes started to drift close.

Seconds before she stumbled upon slumber land, her alarm clock which she had charmed the previous night started screeching, causing her to roll off the bed in surprise and land in an ungraceful heap on the ground. There she laid, her breath caught in her throat, until her moment of shock wore off and she picked herself up hastily from the carpeted floor. Even though there was no one else present to witness the little incident, Hermione's face still burned from the embarrassment of it all.

_Geez, girl! And I thought your clumsiness left you for good._

She glanced accusingly at the offending object.

7.00am.

There were still a couple of hours till lessons start. She frowned inwardly at herself and headed over to the bathroom for her routine morning bath before any chance of her falling asleep could surface again. In her comfy bathtub, she let herself be surrounded by the lavender scented solution and her thoughts from the previous night flow over her body like the warm water from the showerhead. The two combined and formed a steady rhythm, soothing her nerves and cleansing her mind of any remaining sleepiness.

_Now, the idea of making my lessons more interesting is very good, but how do I go about improving my teaching technique?_

Hermione's lips went unknowingly into the slight twist that always formed whenever her mind was working furiously. Turning off the shower, she wrapped a thick towel around herself and stepped into her bedroom once again. She shivered slightly when her sensitive skin got into contact with the cool air.

_Maybe if I organize a little something like…Or maybe…_

Water droplets clung to her still damp hair and goose bumps appeared on various parts of her body. That's when it hit her.

"That's it!" Hermione exclaimed in delight as she wiped that remaining droplets of water off her skin. Not even bothering to first put on her clothes, a towel clad Hermione sat herself at her sofa in the common room and immediately became absorbed in the task of transferring her ideas onto pieces of parchment.

--

After an hour of furious scratching of quill against parchment, it was time for Hermione to have breakfast in the Great Hall. Walking through the corridors, she was still very much absorbed in planning her "interesting lessons". In fact, she hasn't stopped building on her idea since she last got it in the bathroom. As such, groups of students could be seen congregated along the corridors leading towards the Great Hall, their topic of discussion more or less focused on Hermione, or more specifically her rationale behind ignoring their greetings and the dazed look on the face of their polite professor.

Hermione remained in her state of blissful ignorance throughout breakfast. The only time she snapped out of her stupor was to tell Professor Flitwick that no, she would not like more toast, before going back to her ponderings immediately. Of course, this only served to fuel the horrendous amount of rumors that had appeared amidst the students at Hogwarts, the most ridiculous being that their Professor Granger had been bewitched by a mysterious stranger and would only fall out of her dazedness when talking to her Prince Charming, who was none other than their very own Professor Flitwick.

Leaving her breakfast nearly untouched on the table, Hermione was forced to leave the comfort of her thoughts when Professor Flitwick reminded her that lessons were about to start. She gave him a grateful smile in return, which was misinterpreted by quite a few over imaginative minds amidst the student population, resulting in another fresh burst of gossip.

--

The start of lessons found many students rushing frantically into their respective lesson venues. Hermione quickened her footsteps and entered the DADA classroom just as the bell ended, not unlike a certain Professor Snape.

Striding briskly to the front of the room, Hermione glanced through the name list of her class and was pleasantly surprised to see Kaylen's name on it. She scanned the classroom and spotted a mob of flashy silver near the back of the aisle.

She watched as the lively girl chatted away with her gang and the ends of her lips quirked slightly in its direction for a moment. She felt an emotion of care mixed with a bit of pain sprout from the bottom of her heart and take over her senses. Care from her sisterly instinct towards Kaylen but pain from…?

_I'm glad she's already made friends. One can always trust the Malfoy charm on that can't they?_

Her eyes lingered on the endearing girl briefly and before she could stop herself, her thoughts wandered off to _her _first year in Hogwarts. Hermione decided she really didn't want Kaylen to follow her footsteps. She also realized she was currently in a lesson and half the class was staring at her curiously. A blush highlighted her cheeks and she coughed in embarrassment.

"Good morning, class. I'm your new professor…"

--

"Professor! I don't feel too well… I think it's a migraine. Is it alright for me to visit the hospital wing?"

Hermione frowned at the mousy hair boy in irritation. It was the tenth time someone had asked to be excused during a mere span of forty minutes. This behavior had started barely five minutes into the lesson and now there were only a handful of students left in the classroom, including Kaylen as Hermione noted gladly.

Tolerant as she liked to think she was, it was hard not to get frustrated when your students were obviously using tricks on her! Hermione Granger wasn't stupid. Oh no, she wasn't! It wouldn't do to let her students think that school was a trivial matter… Not at all! She was definitely going to have to do something about this.

With a winning imitation of the Headmistress's clipped tone, Hermione calmly told the boy that yes, he can be excused but he would also have to bring the entire pack of "sick" students back to the classroom, where the entire class would then be given a lecture on respect and importance of lessons.

She watched with mild sadistic triumph as the trembling boy stumbled out of the classroom. For the rest of the lesson, Hermione was satisfied to see that no further requests for the hospital wing were made.

Ha! Of course she can still be intimidating when the need arises.

--

By the time Hermione was done going through her last minute lecture regarding playing tricks on teachers, she had eaten into the next teacher's lesson, which was unfortunately Malfoy's potions lesson, as she found out soon after.

Muttering slightly impolite phrases under her breath (she refrained from cursing as much as possible), she scribbled as persuasive and apologetic a note she could (it was _Malfoy_ after all), explaining how exactly the lecture was necessary.

--

**3 days later…**

"…therefore as you probably wouldn't teach them anything constructive anyway, I might as well make good use of this time and teach them a precious lesson or two. As sincerely as I can be towards a ferret, Hermione Granger. "

"…your students desperately needed this time for extra remedial. I trust I have put this time to better use than you would have. Not very sincerely at all, Hermione Granger."

The muscle on Draco's jaw twitched as he reread the numerous notes that Mudblood had sent him over the past few days. He had asked around and the rest of the professors in Hogwarts had all denied ever being given such "special treatment" from _her._ He was the only one who has had his lessons cut into, received sarcastic notes with insults as many as buried dynamites on a battlefield and… and!

It wasn't so much of the gloating glances from the rest of the teachers, nor the muffled laughter shared amongst Snape and McGonagall, though he must admit that it bruised his manly pride slightly. God forbid, but laughter seemed like a taboo between this grumpy pair!

It was his belief that Malfoys are supposed to be feared in general instead of being toyed with, and it was especially so in his case, as Draco assured himself determinedly.

The sound of a dozen sets of feet hurrying down the corridor broke his train of thoughts. Subsequently, the door of his classroom opened and his students streamed in, late _again_.

He had reached his limit. Imaginary steam poured out of his ears, accompanied by a shrill alarm going off in his head…he couldn't control his temper anymore! Heck, he wasn't required to control his temper in the first place! A red veil shot up in front of his eyes and he could actually feel the lava in his blood heat up to boiling point.

"THAT'S IT!" Draco bellowed at them.

The room shushed immediately and all students froze in attention, fear written on each of their faces. He was impressed with himself with the volume of his voice, considering he haven't even used sonorous on himself. Humph, it was a wonder he lasted this long at all.

It was obvious that Granger was playing with him. Well, he would NOT be played with like this!

Now now Granger…you should have thought twice about enraging Draco Malfoy—heir of the great Malfoy family, future head of Slytherin, shouldn't you?

Draco's students, who by now have deemed the situation safe enough to allow movement on their part, started scurrying to their seats when a bout of evil sniggers erupted from their handsome though eccentric potions professor. Their hearts clenched once again, but this time for the victim whom which he was no doubt planning the demise of now.

They would hate to be in said person's shoes.

* * *

A/N: hey guys! i'm really sorry for "abandoning" the fic for such a lengthy period of time.. it was a horrendously LONG and tedious process of writing it. i sort of got mental block, but its was okay! nothing your writer couldn't handle YAY (: 

so after resting for so long... CHAP 5 OF FOREVER AND MORE IS FINALLY UP!!!!!! phew

please give suggestions on how to improve my fic and a few compliments here and there is always appreciated! Thankyou for the support! cookies for those who review!!

As always, SummerShowers. (haha i changed my penname!)


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